


a cup of tea

by rangerhitomi



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Emetophobia, Gen, M/M, Nurse Shark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-17 03:09:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8128058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rangerhitomi/pseuds/rangerhitomi
Summary: when yuma makes a bad dietary decision, shark is there to nurse him back to health... begrudgingly. astral learns a few things about humans in the process.





	

**Author's Note:**

> veeeeeery old fic that I found buried in my documents. I think it's one of the first zexal fics I ever wrote.

“Just… just get it all out…”

Shark winced at the retching and splattering sounds coming from the bathroom in response. He took a deep breath, and praying the answer was no, said hesitantly, “do you need me to… come in there… for anything?”

Astral looked traumatized. “You can’t go in there, Shark!”

“Trust me, I don’t want to,” Shark said darkly as Yuma gave another spectacular projectile.

“No, I mean, Yuma once told me that if anyone were to go into the bathroom when another person is already in it, they’ll die.”

Despite himself, Shark gave Astral an incredulous stare. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I don’t fully understand it,” Astral admitted. “But it seems that interrupting a person’s cycle of food intake and disposal results in death.”

Shark looked about as bewildered as Astral had ever seen him but before he could say anything, Yuma made a loud exclamation from the bathroom that Astral was sure was considered impolite, and knew that Akari would be shoving a bar of soap down his throat for it had she been there to hear him. He never understood this practice either; there was no practical application – at least one he could see –  for cleaning a person’s mouth for using improper language when the sound emanated from the vocal cords.

“Yuma?” Shark placed a hand on the doorknob. He ignored Astral’s noise of protest and pushed open the door. His face crumpled in horror as he took a step inside.

“Oh God.”

Astral’s eyes widened. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”

Shark stared at him disbelievingly before taking a deep breath and walking in all the way, leaving the door open.

Astral hovered anxiously, balled fists held close to his chest, outside the bathroom until Shark’s voice said impatiently, “he was just screwing with you, Astral. We don’t join each other in the bathroom because it’s awkward, not because it kills us or whatever.”

Not entirely convinced, Astral hesitantly floated through the wall and grimaced at Yuma’s upper body suspended over the toilet, his face pale and clammy. Shark stood behind him, rubbing his back at arm’s length, face convulsing and body heaving slightly as Yuma hurled again.

“For what it’s worth, I did tell you not to eat twelve whole jalapeños,” Shark said loudly, cringing as Yuma spat the leftover vomit into the toilet. His nose crinkled against the smell and he stepped closer. Not looking at the contents of Yuma’s stomach, he flushed the toilet and stepped back.

“Thanks,” Yuma grunted, resting his forehead on the toilet seat.              

“Are you okay now?”

Yuma made a noncommittal noise that might have meant anything but Shark took it as a yes.

“Well, let’s get you back downstairs on the couch and I’ll make you some tea or something.” Yuma let Shark help him to his feet, but wavered when Shark let go of him. With a sigh, Shark pulled Yuma’s arm around his shoulder and wrapped his other arm around Yuma’s waist. Yuma staggered along as they walked slowly out of the bathroom, Astral floating behind, looking more disgruntled than revolted.

“I can’t believe he lied to me about that,” he complained. “I truly believed if anyone witnessed another in the bathroom, they died. That’s why I never went in there with him.”

Yuma muttered incoherently and Shark interpreted for him. “Astral, you don’t follow people into the bathroom anyway. Using the toilet is kind of…”

“Gross,” Yuma supplied weakly.

“And personal,” Shark conceded. They reached the couch and Shark set Yuma against the cushions. “Wait here while I get you some tea.”

Yuma managed to roll his eyes as he leaned back. “ _Wait here_? I can barely move.”

Shark gave him a pained look before hurrying into the kitchen. The clatter of opening and closing cabinets was the only sound as Astral watched Yuma, arms folded crossly. Yuma sighed weakly and responded after a few minutes of this. “Look, sorry for lying to you about the bathroom thing, but that was when I didn’t know you and I was freaked out about this spirit only I could see following me everywhere.”

Astral’s eyes softened for a moment as he looked at Yuma’s pitifully ashen face. “You didn’t correct yourself later though.” A tea kettle shrieked in the kitchen for a moment before Shark presumably took it off the stove.

“Well, no, partly because I forgot about it and partly because I figured you learned the concept of privacy by then.”

Astral was interrupted by Shark, who stalked into the living room with a steaming cup set neatly on a saucer. He sat on the couch next to Yuma and shifted the tea bag. “It’s about done. I want you to drink all of it.” He spoke in clipped, motherly tones, which made Yuma chuckle weakly. “What?” Any pleasantry in his voice vanished.

“Nothing.” Yuma held up his shaky hand and reached for the cup. Shark held it out of his reach.

“No, you’re not holding it; you’ll spill it all over the sofa. I’ll help you. Now sit up.”

Yuma sat up obediently as Shark pressed the cup to his lips. He almost spat it back in the cup but at his friend’s pursed lips, forced himself to swallow it. The overwhelming, almost spicy flavor burned his throat on the way down and had a strong aftertaste he wasn’t sure he liked too much.

“Ginger,” Shark said stiffly at Yuma’s grimace. “It helps with an upset stomach.”

“I think there’s too _much_ ginger in this,” Yuma managed, coughing slightly at the burning sensation all the way in his sinuses.

“Shut up and drink it.”

* * *

 

Astral watched curiously as Shark continued to force Yuma to take small sips of the ginger tea, Yuma making faces the entire time. Once the teacup was empty, Shark helped position Yuma comfortably on his side and covered him with a throw blanket. Shark gently rubbed Yuma’s back as Yuma drifted to sleep. Astral understood the purpose of the ginger root and the sleep, but didn’t understand the gentle gesture, uncharacteristic of the older teen. He asked Shark about it.

Shark shrugged. “It might not do anything to make him feel better physically,” he admitted quietly, “but he falls asleep faster when he feels comforted.”

Not for the first time, Astral wished he had a physical form. He wondered what ginger tea tasted like, and what it would feel like to have Shark stroke his back as he fell asleep.


End file.
